I am known to make a chicken last a week. Roasted on Sunday, the chicken's legs and wings are eaten. The rest of the chicken is stripped off, the bones boiled up for stock. Next day, the remaining chicken is made into curry, which will give four portions. The stock makes soups.
I am surprised to see many people fearful of my cooking methods. I cook my curry, leave it in the pot and leave the pot in the oven but never in a fridge. I don't have access to a fridge and wouldn't know what to do with one, if I had one. I take a bit of curry of the pot and reheat it when needed.
Many people are quite ignorant of food safety but you can't blame them in a society that is geared to frightening people, making them worried so they can be more easily controlled.
A useful news article on the BBC explains the true meaning of 'use-by', 'best-before' and 'sell-by' dates. Essentially, don't eat anything after its use-by date but anything after a best-before or sell-by date is just as edible as it was afore the date.
Far too much food is wasted because people buy too much and/or do not understand the safety labels. This week I spent £4.14 at the supermarket. I rely on my home-grown vegetables, any freebies I can get hold of, cheap supermarkets, buying raw ingredients, avoiding processed food and never eating out (unless someone else is paying!).
There are plenty of bargains to be had when supermarkets sell food cheaply as it reaches its sell-by date. But hurry, as more of us purchase bargains like this, supermarkets will catch on and lobby parliament for the abolition of date labelling so they can sell old food for the same high prices as fresh food.
BBC - Sell-by buys
When has food really gone off?
Darn it!
Not content with spending less than £5 at the supermarket this week, I decided to darn my socks rather than buy new ones.
"But James, a new pair of socks would only cost you a few pounds."
Well, the price of the thread used came to about a penny so that's quite a saving. I walked to my local craft shop and bought 12 metres of tapestry thread for 75p. For darning you need a thread thicker than sewing thread so tapestry thread fits the bill.
Darning couldn't be easier, just a few running stitches in one direction to cover the hole and then weave the thread through the stitches at right angles until you have weaved a patch over the hole. No knots required. Job done!
A few pounds saved, which will pay for next week's shopping.
An update
I harvested the above a few weeks ago. Plenty of potatoes, onions, shallots, carrots and tomatoes. The lettuce came thick and fast over the summer. Probably my best ever harvest as I have not bought any vegetables this year.
My bags are packed and I'm ready to go to ... I have a few small farms to see in ... I'll let you know when I settle into ... I never like to talk about plans a) because I rarely plan, I prefer to let life take me where it will b) if I do plan then it always goes wrong.
I have been experimenting with junk and built a solar AA battery charger, which will charge my radio, mobile phone and lights. My laptop and razor will have to run off the car.
One of my few purchases recently was for a Kelly Kettle. I have converted it to gasify wood, which gives a cleaner and more efficient burn so that water boils more quickly and with less fuel.
I intend heating water and cooking with wood even though I may end up in a house with all mod cons until I find somewhere to buy. My intention is to live as I intend to so no taking it easy with switch flicking because I just can't be paying bills.
Interesting visit to a car breaker's yard, yesterday. So much useful stuff lying around.
Signing off for now. Reporting back in a few weeks time.
There are distant rumblings...
I have an opportunity to restart my self-reliant activities in another country. An opportunity to practice what I preach like I have never done before. Keep a look out for new postings at the end of September.
So long and thanks for all the comments
It's been a pleasure, writing this blog but all good things must come to an end. Writing is something I turn to as a diversion when my life is on the rocks. I wrote about my sister when she died. I had another blog called 'Arm Chair Angst' when La Mexicanita decided she loved London more than me.
The Good Life blog started after I bought a house in Kerry with someone totally unsuited to country life. You live and learn. Better to be alone than share your life with someone whose lifestyle is totally incompatible with yours.
These days I am sharing my time with like-minded seafarers. I have worked my way up to Day Skipper level and am now looking for passages as a deckhand on other peoples' yachts to cement new knowledge into my brain. Then I will look to take commercial courses so I can find permanent work at sea. I should be back at sea within the next few weeks.
I haven't lost the Good Life spirit. I still live the same lifestyle, just without land of my own. I take care of the sea as much as I take care of the land.
I have written as much as I can on this blog. As a child I was an optimist, glued to the television, watching the Apollo moon landings and being one of the first children at school to own a home computer. I saw no limits to human endeavour.
Today, humanity is at a crossroads but the world is run by money obsessed suits that want to take us along the wrong road. I tire of talking about it. I look after number one. I no longer tell others whether I think their lifestyles are sustainable or not. After all, the more that people know, the less there is to go round in a survival situation.
Living at sea for periods of time is a case of living with less, making do, being prepared for survival situations. I have lived in tents in the countryside for extended periods and now I do likewise on boats at sea. I feel accomplished, able, ready for anything.
I spend less time on the Internet, except for downloading decent music prior to 1986, and have run out of useful things to say on this blog. I hope all of you who read this blog have enjoyed doing so. I have learnt more from you than you have from me.
Slán agat
